Scraper draft gear



May 21, 1929. A. P. ARMINGTON SCRAPER DRAFT GEAR Original Filed Nov. 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet attori/1.214

May 21, 1929. AQ/R ARM,'NTON 1,114,118

SCBAPER DRAE;1 GEAR Original Filed Nov. 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,wif

gygy* 1,4110!" @@Mfw akanne1* Patented- May 2l,l i. i

UNITED *STA l 1,714,118* 'resil PAT/ENT orifice.

ARTHUR 1. ARMINGTO, or wILLoUGHBzoHIo.

Applcationled November 6, "192f`6, Seria1 No. 146,651. Renewed March 7, 1929.

This invention'relates to draft gears for soil or earth moving machines s uch are are commonly known as scrapers andl capable, while being Vpulled or dragged along the surface of thel earth, of scooping a load of' earth into a receptacle or bucket which forms 'a part of the scraper, transporting the'load to the location desired, andthere dumping lthe same; all of these operations being conltrolled lat the will of the operator of the motive means, such as a tractor, by which the scraper is advanced through suitable connection i therewith.

.Ordinarily in a scraper of the type to which reference has been made, the bucket and its supporting and controlling means are V designed and arranged to produce'` a predetermined motion of the bucket more or less of a scooping nature for the purpose ofloadingthe same; this motion being nonvaria`` ble, at least non-variable without adjustment `requiring the use of tools, idleness of the scraper, and attending inconvenience.

In the use of such a scraper a very widey range is encountered both as to the nature and condition of the soilto be handled. As the bucket advances during the'loading-opr eration 'its tractive -resistance rapidly in-l creasesdue to the Vadded weight, resulting in a tendency to di into the soil the more deepl when the least desirable. Moreover an a justment suitable for handling harden ed clay for example, would be inefficient in handling soft loam, and likewise, an ad justment intended for efficient use inloose` sand would be impossible of employment in an earth or soil presenting frequentlarge boulders; in the one case a great ineiciency Lresults freni/the inability ofthe bucket to more serious, failure of' become completely loaded, and inthe other case resulting in frequent' stalling of the scraper with its Atraction means, or what is some part of the scraper mechanism.v

It is an object of my invention to provide a means for automatically regulating the bite of the bucket according to the vamount of'loadtherein, the instant nature of the' soil encountered, and'in general therefore according to the resistance of the bucket to tractive' pull, andl to this end and more specifically, to provide a novel arrangement.

whereby 'the lip of the bucket lwhich enters the soilduring the loading operation may bel automatically adjusted in angularity correspondingly as the resistance of the soil to the bucket lip is lessened or increased.

A further object. of the invention is to proportion and arrange the parts whereby the automatic adjustment of the bucket lip will be of a smooth governing nature as distiguished from the hunting action which is found to bepresent in other automatic draft gears; that is, whereby when the scraper is usedthe cut taken Awill leave approximately a plane .surface as distinguished from the V*number of spaced transverse ridgeswhich rea scraper in which my invention has been incorporated, the component parts thereof, being shown asat the ,beginning of the bucket loading operation; Fig. 2 is a similar view ing operation; Fig. 3 is a similar View showing t e parts as in the dumping operation and Fig. 4 is a, plan .v iew, partly broken away, of the parts ,in the position of Fig'. 3.

The type ofy scraper choseny for illustration ands ecific description of my invention is of t c run around bucket type commonly known -as the Fresno type, and

comprises princi ally a bucket 1 ofthe usual showing the parts as at the end of the loadgenerally -cylin rical` conformation, pivot,-

ally secured axially as at 2 with a draft gear including a yoke `or bail having side- 'members 3 adapted to be connected through suitable means to be'described with atractive means such as an automotivev tractor.

lA ha'rdenedsteel lip 5 extends laterally to 100v form a flat portion of the bucket adapted to assume, when the bucket is in loading posivtion, an approximately horizontal posltion at the bottom or the bucket, the bucket being provided with side plates 6, and a. back plate 7. The bucket is strengthened at each en'd by a circular runner member 8 on which are adjustably secured a pair of projections 9 and9 for a purpose to be descrlbed. 'The members 3 each extend from one side of the bucket forwardly and according to my invention to fixed connection with a tubular torque member 10 positioned laterally-therebetween.

Upon the yoke adjacent the forward portion of the bucket and carried by a pair of bracket plates 11 is a transverse rock shaft 12 upon which is secured a control lever 13, the outer ends of shaft 12 carrying a pair of detent arms 14 inthe planes of the projections 9 and 9. An arm 15 forms with the lever 13 a bell crank, and is in engagement with a plun er 16 urged upwardly by the spring 17 w ereby the control lever, and hence the detent'arms 14, are urged to the `position shown in the liguresin the path of the projections 9 as the bucket moves about its axils 2 and tangent to the runners 8. A control line 18 is secured with the upper end of the lever 13 and extends to the tractive means to which the scraper is secured. Rearward motion of the lever 13 is limited by a pair of stops 19 secured to the bracket plates 1l to engage the detent'arms 14, and the brackets 11 are preferably adjustable on the. yoke.

To this end each member 3 is provided with a. longitudinally extending slot 3EL through which passes a bolt 2Oa secured with its bracket plate 11. Thus by loosening the bolt 20a its bracket 11 may be adjusted by turning the set screw 20, after which the bolt 20a may be retighte'ned and the axis of the shaft 12Ithus resecured in itsv adjusted position; whereby the loading positionof the bucket may be adjusted.

The general method of operation and control of the bucket for effecting loading and unloading thereof will be evident; upon forward motion of the draft gear thetendency of the bucket is to roll forwardly upon the ground, that is to rotate in a clockwise direction, Fi s. 1, 2 and 3, about its axis 2 as the same a vances. The projections 9 are so positioned upon the members 8 as to be engaged by the Adetent members 14 to secure the bucket in the loadin position; the prol jections 9l being adjuste to secure the bucket in the dumping position. Hence, assuming the bucket in the loadingv position as indicated in Fig. 1, the scraper is dragged forward until the bucket accumulates a load,

after which movement of the scraper asto the dumping location may proceed without substantial alteration in the load.

When the dumping location is reached a pull upon the controlline 18 releases the detent levers 14 from the projections 9 allowing the bucket to roll upon the members 8 to dumping position (Fig. 3) the spring 17 returning the detent arms to a position to engage the projections 9 to maintain the bucket in thedumping position. After the load is emptied, the scraper is returned to the loading location by dragging it with the bucket thus maintained in the dumping position and supported clear of the ground upon the members. 8. To reload the bucket a second pull upon the control line 18 effects disengagement between the members 14 and 9 allowing the bucket to roll to loading tion. According to my invention however,

I obtain an automatically regulated angular movement of the bucket in its loading position, providing joints -21 between the longitudinally extending members of the yoke and the inwardly inclined members 22. The forward extremities of the members 22 are secured' as at 23 with a corresponding pair of members 24 which extend rearwardly betweenthe members 22 to pivotal connection with the transversely extending torque member 10 coaxial with the pivots 21.

A tongue 25 rigidly secured with the torque member 10 extends forwardly lthereof between the lever 24 to a point above the axis of the pivot 23, whereby angularity between the `two draft structures is limited. Thus while the members 3, 10, and 25 form a yoke draft structure in primary relationship with the bucket, so do the members 22 and 24 form a secondary .draft structure in angular connection with the yoke and forming therewith in effect a unitary draft structure of yoke form jointed along the axis of the pivots 21.

' Secured upon the members 24 are strut link 29 with the tongue 25 as indicated. The

opposite arm of the lever28 is pivotally secured as at 30 with the rear end of a draft link 31, the forward end of .which carries' the draft link 4 and is positioned with respect to the member 24 by the link 32, whereby the forward end of the secondary draft structure is substantially limited in vertical relationship with respect to the drawbar. The arrangement is suchl that relative longitudinal movement between the drawbar and the ,draft structures Will be converted into relative angular movement at the joint between tlqe draft structures. A heavy spring 33 is provided, indicatedlas secured in tension between the draft link 31 and the -A frame 26, whereby the draft link is strongly urged rearwardly with respect to the members 24, to maintain the unitary draft structure in straightened relation.

It will benoted that the draft that, in

A what might be considered their normal or straightened'relation asin Figs. 1 and 3, the joint 21v lies substantially in the plane of` draft, that is, in the same plane with the axle means 2 and the draft eyeffl; andthe joint is medial or approximately midway of the draft gear link whereby if the joint is broken, as upwardly, the double yoke structure will be shortened, and the'bucket will be correspondingly tilted, as upwardly.

The result of the arrangement described is that` normally the draft gear will function as a solid unit, under li ht load conditions the members retaining telr relationship as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Presupposing, however, thebucket fully loaded or an obstacle of abnormal resistance toA be encountered by the li of th bucket, the draw bar will'be h move forwardly with respect to the bucket, tilting the bell crank' 28 i clockwise about itsaxisl 27 to raise the tongue 25,y break the unitary draft structure along the axis of the pivots "21, and hence Jslightly 'but' with great force tilt the bucket td elevate the lip 5; all against theresistance ofthe spring 33, the arts assuming a relatin' similar to thatfindicated in Fig.` 2. Vertical motion' of .the 'tongue 25 is limited by lits forward extremity engaging either of the axis bolts@ 23 or 27. C

The advantage of this action is obvious.

. As' thel resistance of the bucket. to forward movement is'increased beyond a predetermined maximum, adjustable by adjustment of the spring 33 as by the n ut 34'-either by the buc et attaining a loaded condition or by the lip of the bucket meeting a portion of hard earth, a boulder, tree v root, Ior the like,--my draft gear is flexed as it were,

i both somewhat relieving the draw bar stress ,and what'is more important, effectin a rearward tilting motion of the bucket a out its axis 2l to raisethe lip thereof, allowing the bucket to ride up to the'surface of the soil 'if loaded,or toclear'the obstruction if it be impassable, the adjustment of the bucket e being effected automatically, dependent upon its tractive resistance.

It will be noted that Whereas the center of the bucket and therefore the. bucket as a whole is arranged to lag bodily with respect Y to the draft ege-yet the relative motion or varied. Therefore when the spring 33 is yextended as during the operation of the scraper, the bucket tilts aboutthe forward ledge of its lip rather than about lits -axis 2f.

The result is that when loading, where the obstruction to advancebecomes suicient f that" the draft gear will automatically vfunction as described, the'bucket lip instead of riding entirely out ofthe 'soil -and then suddenly digging down into its again, will merely slightly change in angularlty taking a cut of slightly less de th.

Attention 'is also cal ed' to the employment of the tubular .torque member 1'() whereby the oke structure immediately secured with th at all times regardless of bending moment carried from the tongue 25 through the member 10 and to the side members 3. It will also be noted that the rock shaft 12 is closely adjacent the member 10, supported at its ends bythe side members 3 lclosely adjacent the detentV arms 14, which are so arranged as to be stressed-in compression only.

What I' claim is: 1. In a scraper ofthe class'described, a

bucket, a yoke structure therefor compris-I ing a pair of side members having pivotal connection with :said bucket, a transverse tubular torque member (jolning said vslde members, a tongue secure with said torque e bucket is maintained rigidI member and extending forwardly thereof, a,

secondary structure in pivotal connection with said yoke structure to form therewith a ljointed yoke unit, movable operating means having supporting connection with said secondary structure and adapted for connection to a draw bar and associated with said tongue to control the angular relation of 'said structures, and interengageable means carried by said side members and said bucketvres ectivelyl'and adapted toprevent rotation o said bucket infsaid yoke vstructure. f

2. In -a scraper having a bucket and means for controlling the @same for veffecting loading and unloading thereof, a .draft gear comprising a yoke structure secured with saidv bucket, a ysecondary structure in pivotal connection with said yoke structure, movable operating means having support-v4 ing connection with an end ofl said secondary structure and adapted for connection toa 'draw vbar and associated withy said yoke structure to control the angular relaytion of said structures, and means for yieldsaid structures and thereby elevate the lip 3.1In a scraper including Ya bucket and means'for controlling the same for effecting loading and unloading thereof, a draft gear digging to non-digging comprising a yoke'structure secured withsaid bucket, a secondaryl structure in pivotal connection with said-'yoke structure to form therewith a jointed yoke unit, a draft link, the forward end'of which extends adjacent the forward end of said yoke unit,

means connecting said ends to allow relative longitudinal motion therebetween, lever means supported by one of said structures and having connection with the rearward end of said draft link, means connecting tended interrelation, and therefore said bucket in predetermined angular relation `with said draft link.

4. In a scraper including a bucket and means for controlling the same for effect- `ing loading and vunloading thereof, a draft gear comprising a yoke structure secured with said bucket, a secondary structure in pivotal connection with said yoke structure to form therewith a jointed yoke unit, movable operating means having supporting connection with the' forward end of said unit and adapted for connection to a draw bar and associated with both said structures to control the angular` relation therebe tween, and means for yieldably maintaining said parts with said structures in substantially straightened relation, said yoke unit being adapted for bending upward at its joint against the action of said yieldable. means, whereby the lip yof the bucket will be elevated. i

5. In a scraper including'a bucket andy means for controlling the same for effecting loading and unloading thereof, a draft gear comprising a yoke structure secured with said bucket, a secondary structure in pivoted connection with said yoke structure to form therewith a jointed yoke unit, a draft link, the forward end of which extends adjacent the forward end of said yoke unit, means interconnecting said ends for allowing relative longitudinal motion therebetween, lever means in pivotal relation with one of said structures and connected with the rearward end of said draft link, a member of the other of -said structures eX- tending adjacent said lever means, means connecting said member and said lever vmeans whereby resistance of said bucket` to advance by said `draft -link effects angular movement between said structures to raise the lip of said bucket, and means foryieldably maintaining said structures in extended relation.

6. In a scraper comprising a bucket and Ineans for controlling the same for effect-f. ing loading and unloading thereof, a draft gear comprising a primary yoke structure secured with said bucket, a secondary yoke structure in pivotal connection with said rimary structure to form therewith a jointed yoke unit, a drawbar the forward end of which extends adjacent the forward end of said secondary yoke unit, means connecting said ends to allow relative longitudinal motion therebetween, a lever in pivotal relation with one of said structures and connected with the rearward end of said drawbar, a member of the other of said structures extending adjacent said lever, a link connecting said member and said lever whereby yresistance of saidv drawbar toadvance by said bucket effects anguy, lar movement between said yoke structures to raise the lip of said bucket, and means for yieldably maintaining saidyoke structures in extended relation and therefore said bucket and drawbar in predetermined angular relation.

7 In a scraper having a bucket and means for controlling the same for efecting loading and unloading thereof, a draft gear comprising a yoke structure secured with the bucket, a secondary yoke structure, said yoke structures havingv pivotal interconnection, means adapted to associate the forward end of said secondary yoke struc'- ture with draft means for support thereby, whereby a double yoke structure is had, with a joint medial of its length and substantially in the plane of draft whereby as the joint moves upwardly vthe double yoke structure will be shortened, and means for causing breaking of said joint upwardly .dependent upon the draft magnitude whereby the bucket will be tilted rearwardly correspondingly.

j 8L In a scraper having a bucket and means for controlling the same for effecting loading and unloading thereof,adraft gear comprising a yoke structure secured with the bucket, a secondary yoke structure, said lyoke structure having pivotal interconnection, means adapted to associate the forward end of said secondary yoke structure with draft means for support thereby, whereby a double yoke structure is had, with' a loint medial of its length and substantial y in the plane of draft whereby as the joint movesA upwardly the double yoke struc-ture will be shortened, one of said yoke structures having a portion extending beyond said joint, and means carried by the other yoke st-ructure and associated with said eX- 'ward end of said secondary yoke structure with draft means for support thereby,

whereby a doublel yoke structure is had,

. with a joint media-ll of its length and substantially in the plane of draft whereby as the joint moves upwardly the double yoke structure will be shortened, means for limiting downward breaking of said joint, one

of said `yoke structureshaving a portion extending beyond said joint, and means car ried by the other .yoke structure and associated with said extending portion and adapted for association with said draft means for causing -breaking of saidjoint' upwardly dependent upon the draft magnitude. i

10. In a scraper having a bucket and means for controlling the lsame for effecting loading and unloading thereof, a draft gear comprising ayoke structure secured with the bucket, a ,secondary yoke structure', a draft link adapted for connection with draft means .and having movable supporting connection with the forward end of said secondary yoke-structure, said yoke structures Whaving pivotal interconnection whereby a double yoke structure is had with a .joint media-l of its length, yieldable means for opposing relative movement of said -draft l1nk in thev dlrection of draft, said primary yoke structure having a tongue extendingforwardly of the joint betweenl the r yoke structures, and means carried by said secondary. yoke structure and connecting said draft link with said tongue to break said joint upwardly as said draft link moves in opposition to said ieldable means.

. ll. In a scraper means for controlling the same for effecting loading` and unloading thereof, a draft gear comprlsing a primary yoke structure secured with saidbucket, a secondary yoke' structure having pivotal connection with said primary yoke` structure, a draft link adapted for connection with draft means, means -movably supporting the forward end of said secondary yoke structureon said draft link, whereby ai double yoke structure is had with a joint medial of its length and substantiallyin the plane of draft whereby as the jointmoyes upwardly the double yoke structure will be shortened, andoperating aving a bucket.v andmeans supported on one of ysaid .yoke structures and associating said` draft link with the other of'said yokepstructures to break said joint upwardly dependent upon draft. 12.-In a scraper having a bucket and means for controlling the same for effecting loading and unloading thereof, a draft gear comprising a primary yoke structure secured with said bucket a secondary yoke structure having pivotal connection with said primary yoke structure, a vdraft link having coupling means adapted for connection with draft means, means movably supporting the forward end of said secondary yoke structure on said draft link, and operating means supported on one of said yoke structures and associating said draft link with the other of said yoke structures to yieldably maintain the joint between :said

yoke structures in the plane of said coupling 4means andthefconnection between said primary yoke structure andsaid bucket, and

adapted to break saidv joint upwardly dependent upon draft.

13. In a scraper having la bucket, draft gear connected therewith, means for controlling bucket movements for effecting loading and unloading thereofhsaid controlling means comprising projections on said bucket and means on said draft gear for engagino' said projections and including a rock sha and detent arms thereon, and `means for bodily adjusting saidl rock shaft on said draft gear to effect adjustment of said bucket in digging position.

141. In` a scraper having a bucket, draft gear connected therewith, means for controlling bucket movements 'for effecting loadingv and unloading thereof, said con- ARTHUR P. ARMINGTON.

said bucket in dig-v 

